A Pentecostal Church Sharing the Love of Jesus Without Boundaries
On a stretch of North Loop 340 in Waco, Texas, Church of the Open Door has gathered people around the gospel since the late 1980s. The congregation's motto - "Sharing the Love of Jesus Without Boundaries" - sits at the top of everything they do, and the stated vision spells out the result they hope to see: "Bringing people to a relationship with Jesus Christ and equipping them to transform our city and beyond, with the gospel." From Sunday morning classes to a Wednesday-night midweek service, from a children's ministry that runs during the adult worship hour to a men's residential reentry program on Gholson Road, Open Door operates as a single church with a long reach into McLennan County.
A Waco Native's Calling: Pastors Ronnie and Kim Holmes
Pastors Ronnie and Kim Holmes are Open Door's founding pastors, and their story is woven into the church's identity. Pastor Ronnie is a Waco native who was born again at about six years old, joined music ministry at about ten, and was ordained in 1988. Years of leading worship, teaching and preaching gave way to a pastoral call that produced Church of the Open Door, and the confirmation of that call has continued as people walk through the doors looking for a caring environment where they can grow in their relationship with God.
Ronnie and Kim have been married since 1984. They have two adult daughters, Ashley (married to Stephen Byrd) and Chastity (married to Isaac Elder), and an adopted son, Austin, who has been part of the family since 2012. Austin now serves on staff as the church's youth pastor, making Open Door in some ways a multigenerational family ministry. The senior pastors' vision is the same one the church repeats today: help people receive Jesus and fulfill their purpose in Him.
Sundays at 9:45, 10:45, and 6:30, and Wednesdays at 7:00
Open Door runs a busy weekly schedule. Sunday classes meet at 9:45 a.m., followed by Sunday worship at 10:45 a.m. and an evening service at 6:30 p.m. The midweek service gathers on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Those who cannot attend in person can follow along through the church's YouTube livestream, which carries the Sunday morning service and other gatherings throughout the week.
Worship is led by Pastor Marihelen Ochoa and the church's worship team, who are described in the church's own materials as anointed worship leaders helping to usher the congregation into the presence of God. Music carries a contemporary, expressive feel consistent with the church's Pentecostal convictions, and the same Wednesday-night hour that hosts the adult service also hosts OD Youth and OD Kids.
A Pentecostal Statement of Faith
The doctrinal statement posted under "Our Beliefs" lays out a classical Pentecostal position. Salvation is presented as a gift received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, made possible by the cross and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, with each person retaining free will to turn away. There is one true and living God existing eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the only rule of Christian faith and practice.
Two ordinances anchor the church's life with Christ. Water baptism is by immersion and is for believers only. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is taught as a gift received after the new birth and is typically accompanied by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, with the practice of supernatural prayer and praise available to every believer. Open Door also teaches divine healing as part of Christ's atonement, the imminent personal return of Christ for His Church, the reality of an eternal lake of fire for those who die in their sins, and the historic Christian view of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On abortion, the statement teaches that human life begins at conception. On giving, it affirms tithing as a biblical baseline, with additional offerings for ministry and the relief of those in need.
OD Kids: From Birth Through Sixth Grade
Open Door's children's ministry, OD Kids, runs concurrently with the adult services. Kids meet on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. and again on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., covering children from birth through sixth grade. Every volunteer has completed an application, an interview and a background check, and the ministry keeps a low child-to-adult ratio on purpose. The goal is to make OD Kids so high-energy and exciting that children cannot wait to come back.
Programming blends a children's worship team leading upbeat songs with Bible teaching that connects scripture to daily life and helps kids discover their identities in Christ. Children's Pastor Terry Dobbs has served in OD Kids since 2000 and leads a team whose stated joy is to see children come to personally know Jesus and grow into their own places of service. Parents are pointed to the YouVersion Bible App and the Bible App for Kids as companion tools, with links posted on the church's kids page.
OD Youth: Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
Pastor Austin Holmes oversees OD Youth, which meets Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. The vision is to disciple students in grades 7 through 12 to be a positive influence in their schools, communities and families. Every week, students spend time with leaders who are described as excited about helping them discover their full potential, and the ministry leans heavily into fun events and relationship-building alongside teaching.
Open Door frames OD Youth as training up a generation of young leaders who want to influence their community, develop meaningful relationships and reveal the love of Christ to others. Austin and his wife Ashley have been involved in youth ministry since before their 2018 marriage, and they describe themselves as passionate about helping young people discover their purpose and develop in their individual callings and giftings in the power of the Holy Spirit. The same pastoral umbrella includes a Single Young Adult ministry for the 18-to-20somethings range.
Overcomers Recovery and the House Where Jesus Shines
Two of the church's most distinctive ministries focus on recovery and reentry. The Overcomers Recovery Support Groups, directed by Pastor Nilsa Latimer Smith, are a Jesus-centered step program that helps train men and women in discipline and accountability. The groups are designed for people on parole or probation and meet at three locations: the House Where Jesus Shines, Church of the Open Door, and prisons in Gatesville.
The House Where Jesus Shines itself is a Christian, faith-based men's residential after-care facility for men being released from incarceration, located at 18320 Gholson Road in Waco. The program provides a spiritually, emotionally and physically safe environment where men are assisted with finding gainful employment, equipped with practical life-skills training, and helped to restore dignity, mend self-esteem and renew their minds. The house does not accept registered sex offenders. Nilsa Latimer Smith has served at the facility since 1997 and has directed it since 2005, working alongside staff who actually live at the house. The treatment and recovery services at the House are described in the church's own materials as exclusively religious in nature, including prayer, moral guidance, spiritual counseling and scriptural study, and therefore not subject to licensure by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Applications are reviewed by mail.
The Food Pantry and Abortion Recovery Ministry
The Open Door Food Pantry serves neighbors with limited food assistance on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The pantry does not provide utility or rent help; it focuses specifically on groceries and is coordinated by Chiquita Grice.
The Abortion Recovery Ministry is a confidential ministry of healing for men and women who have been involved in an abortion. Lynn Rasberry handles contacts for that work, which connects naturally with the church's broader teaching that human life begins at conception and that God's forgiveness and healing are made available to those who have been part of such an experience.
Groups for Every Season of Life
Open Door hosts a series of small-group ministries for adults at different stages of life. Young Married Couples (under 40) meet the first and third Saturdays of most months for fun and fellowship, with childcare provided. Upward Married Couples (40 and over) meet monthly for the same kind of fellowship. A Single Upward Adults group is currently in transition, with the church planning to update when it can restart. The Young Adults ministry is led under Austin Holmes's oversight and is designed to model the love and teachings of Jesus as disciples journey together.
Men's Ministry gathers on the third Saturday of each month for a free breakfast and fellowship at the church, hosted by Pastor Ronnie Holmes. Women's Ministry offers various services, special meetings and fellowship opportunities throughout the year, coordinated through Pastor Kim Holmes. A weekly email newsletter keeps the broader congregation connected between Sundays.
The Pastoral Team and Practical Details
Pastors Ronnie and Kim Holmes lead the church as senior pastors. Cody Ochoa serves as associate pastor, overseeing Sunday School and other programs across the church's departments and sitting on the speaking pastoral staff. Marihelen Ochoa leads worship. Austin Holmes leads youth and young adults. Terry Dobbs leads children. Nilsa Latimer Smith directs the House Where Jesus Shines and the Overcomers Recovery Support Groups.
Giving can be made in person, by mail, through Church Center online, or via PayPal. The church can be reached by phone at 254-799-2656 or by email at info@opendoorwaco.org, and Sunday services, midweek services and Bible-study hours are all open to anyone walking through the doors on North Loop 340.